


Let's Do This Together?

by Hayden_IsTrying



Series: Let me love you [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Absent Parents, Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Has Panic Attacks, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Little Shit, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is Extra, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Panic, Hurt Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Neglect, Protective Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Romance, Smitten Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24090433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hayden_IsTrying/pseuds/Hayden_IsTrying
Summary: Virgil and Roman are finally able to begin working through their issues and everything that's holding them back. It's hard, especially when they encounter further obstacles blocking their path.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Series: Let me love you [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743790
Comments: 37
Kudos: 52





	1. Smile. Everything is fine.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a book two, it won't make a whole lot of sense if you haven't read the first book.
> 
> ***Uploads every Wednesday***

It had taken Roman and Virgil a long time to properly even out their issues and after their recent confirmation that they were in fact boyfriends, They had decided that it might be worth a shot to try and get their little situation to work.

Over the next few weeks, they drew closer and allowed themselves to actually try proper communication. It was a learning curb for both of them, but Roman and Virgil found that they suddenly didn’t mind so much. 

Everything seemed to be going perfectly. They’d gone on a date only a little while ago to commemorate a month of them being together and besides some school stress on both the boy’s ends, everything really did seem good. 

It was only the following week when something had quite clearly resurfaced. Virgil was constantly tense, much more so than he would be down to just school stress. Roman really was worried. 

Virgil wouldn’t tell him anything and it was so clear that something had quite obviously resurfaced for him to be acting this way.

He tried to ask him about it a few times but was only met with animosity and then guilty looks and constant apologies for snapping at him. It wasn’t really that hurting Roman, more than Virgil, who just looked so sad all the time. He wanted to make him smile. To make him happy, but Virgil looked quite the opposite.

After a few days of Roman’s asking, Virgil broke up with him, telling him he couldn’t take the asking anymore and that it might be best for Roman to just go hang out with Remy, Patton and Logan. 

Virgil’s pulling away didn’t seem to get better, in fact, it got worse. Roman got familiarised with Virgil’s friend group and was able to give himself time to get over his fear of Logan in the meantime, but that didn’t mean he was any less concerned about why Virgil was being so distant and what he’d done wrong to be broken up with.

Meanwhile, on Virgil’s side of things, he was stuck in a far worse situation than any of the others imagined. 

Janus had been thinking of ways he could get back at Virgil over the time period he and Roman had been fixing things and he seemed to have found the perfect ploy. He’d collected the information that Roman’s parents were homophobic through some of his own sources and now had what was essentially the perfect blackmail material. 

He’d then put his plan into action, approaching Virgil behind Roman’s back and whispering sharp lies into his ears, manipulating his way into having the upper hand and then before Virgil even had the chance to protest, pulling out a threat to seal the deal. 

He’d told Virgil that if he didn’t do exactly as told, he would reveal to Roman’s parents that Roman had dated him and Roman’s homelife would most certainly get a whole lot worse as a result. 

With Roman’s reluctance to consider his idea of moving in with him, Virgil was stuck. He had no way of safeguarding his boyfriend’s safety so at the moment, he accepted. He knew it was stupid, especially considering that he had completely failed to consider the consequences, but within a matter of days to agreeing, Janus made him break up with Roman.

A few days later, Virgil sat on a park bench drawing in his new sketchbook that he stole from the art room. Suddenly he heard someone sit next to him. He looked up and saw Janus sitting there. “Hey there Virgie, what’s going on buddy?”

“What do you want now?” Virgil growled, turning to him with a gaze so full of anger, you wouldn’t be surprised if he ripped Janus' head off.

“I want you to play along. I have a little plan and if you don’t go along with it. I am going to be very upset and you and I both know upsetting me isn’t in your best interest.” he smirked darkly.

“Play along with what, you asshole?”

“I mean, I could tell you, but this is more fun. Plus, you’ll do whatever I want. you really wouldn’t want Roman’s parents knowing about his sexual preferences now do you? How much do you actually care about your dead relationship anyway” Janus smiled and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and leaving?  
Virgil was left rubbing at his cheek and feeling gross as he hurriedly walked back to his house.

The next day came and he barely paid any attention to his classes. As he was walking out of the building, an underclassman walked past. She giggled and asked, “Is it true you’re dating Janus?” 

Virgil stopped dead in his tracks. “WHAT... THE... FUCK,” He was about to deny it, but then he remembered the threat. He forced a smile and then nodded, trying not to look too disgusted

At lunch, it somehow got worse as he was pulled right to Janus' side right in front of everyone. Virgil sat at the table, extremely uncomfortable. Every time he tried to move away, Janus would come back even closer. He wished that he could go back to when he and Roman were on good terms.

The dejected looks Roman kept giving him were without a doubt the worst part. He must think that he’s not worth Virgil’s love or that he chose Janus over him and that idea really does make him feel sick. He wanted to apologise. For being Roman’s first kiss, his first boyfriend and ruining those experiences by making them shitty for him. 

It had been a while since Virgil had felt this way, but he truly did feel helpless. He could only hope that maybe things would get better as time passed. Little did he know, they’d get far worse before that.


	2. "love" is blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse for Virgil and Roman realises something must be wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, this chapter is two days late, regular uploads every Wednesday should still be expected, I just forgot this week. Besides that, enjoy (:

The next day, Virgil felt completely on edge. He walked through the front gates with Remy, Logan and Patton, trying to keep up a confident façade. The last thing he wanted was to show weakness. He got through his lessons without seeing Janus once and when lunch rolled around, he was sitting at his table with his friends and even Roman was there, looking relatively comfortable as he doodled in his sketchbook. Virgil was surprised and rather perturbed that Janus hadn't turned up yet, it made him nervous more than anything.

Roman had been asked by Logan to sit with them and by now, he felt comfortable doing so. He was worried about Virgil, but his presence conjured more awkwardness than concern for him.  
Later that lunch, Janus walked over to the table where they sat. He quickly pulled Virgil up and out of his seat, holding him tight against him by his waist. "hey, baby," he said, getting a reluctant response from Virgil. 

"h-hey, dee," he mumbled nervously, trying his hardest not to lean away or push Janus back.

Roman looked up immediately at seeing Janus and frowned. However, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Virgil looked uncomfortable. Very much so. 

"You look divine today, darling" Janus spat, noticing Virgil's reluctance to return his affection. 

"t-thank... you," he mumbled. This caused Janus to frown, an angered look in his eyes as he pressed Virgil up against the wall nearby and kissed him, holding his hips tightly as he did so.

Roman watched in confusion as Virgil made a quiet squeak that seemed somewhat projecting fear. He noticed that nobody looked too happy about it and couldn’t help but feel he’d been kept out of the loop.

He pulled back and spoke softly, his voice holding only malice and possessiveness.  
"Just wanted to remind you" Janus drawled, "you're all mine, don't even think about anyone else." he snapped, squeezing Virgil's hip and making sure to dig his nails in a significant amount before turning on his heel to walk away with one final smirk in the table's direction.

As soon as Janus left, Roman didn’t hold himself back. “Virgil..uhm...are you sure-...well, that uhm- that is healthy?”

Virgil swallowed, shaking his head to clear it of remaining thoughts consisting of anything to do with Janus. He grimaced, slumping back down in his seat, "I'm just glad we're in public, he'll only do so much to humiliate me"

“Doesn’t make it any better...” Roman’s jealousy was starting to cloud any remaining judgement he had. “Why are you even dating him if he’s mean to you?”

Virgil raised an eyebrow, a frown forming on his face. "Dee isn't all bad... right now he's just... Making it obvious in public that I'm off limits" he said slowly, chewing his lip.

“Yeah, you’re off-limits, but not cuz you’re dating Dee,” he growled and Virgil’s eyes widened slightly at the comment, avoiding eye contact and mixing his water with the straw that sat in the cold liquid to have something to do with his hands. 

The rest of the lunchtime seemed to go smoothly if not a little awkwardly. Virgil was relatively quiet and overall distant. It was towards the end of the lunchtime when Janus beckoned Virgil over with a look to kill and a swift hand movement that he started to get scared. He slowly got up and as soon as he was close enough was immediately pulled roughly to Janus' side

Roman pretended he wasn’t upset but he still felt his face heat up. Scowling, he put away his sketchbook and kept an eye on Virgil and Janus.

Janus pulled Virgil flush against him and kissed him right in the middle of the cafeteria. Virgil disliked public displays of affection anyway, but this was pushing him way out of his line of comfort. When Janus pulled back and grabbed a tight hold on Virgil's arm to talk to Remus who stood behind them, he let out a quiet yelp, the anxiety in him quickly building.

Roman flinched when he saw the fear in Virgil's eyes. "I can't stand this..." he mumbled. He watched as Virgil increasingly grew more stressed and Janus enjoyed the scene.

Virgil took a shaky breath and readjusted his bag on his shoulder, "Uhm, dee, I need to... Get something from my locker" he mumbled, his head shyly pointed at the ground. Janus simply nodded and began to drag him in the direction of Virgil's locker. "Okay, fine" he snapped, his grip only tightening as they walked.

Roman wanted to follow them but he didn’t want to be suspicious so he just watched the pair leave the lunchroom. He looked over at the others seated at the table, but they were acting as if nothing was happening which was getting increasingly infuriating.

About 15 minutes later, Virgil came back in with Janus. He was no longer being held but instead trailed behind him with a haunted look on his face. Something had clearly happened, but Virgil's blank expression said enough.

Roman took one look at Virgil and he forgot his dignity, he forgot everything. He marched up to Janus and Virgil and pulled Virgil away, ignoring Janus' protests

For a few seconds, Virgil didn't even register what was going on, but he slowly let himself focus and saw Roman in front of him. He was taking him somewhere? Away from dee? Wait... Away from Dee, his eyes widened and he froze a little, the resistance noticeable.

“No, you’re coming with me,” Roman said as he continued to drag Virgil away.

Virgil nodded, his head dipping to look at the ground, "Roman, where are we going?"

"Away from Janus so you can tell me what the hell is going on." He kept pulling Virgil until they got to the courtyard where they sat down on the bench.

Virgil shuddered slightly as the unnerving memory played back in his mind. He pulled himself closer in on himself. "I'm sorry, Ro," he mumbled.

"Don't apologize, just tell me what happened.”

“Okay… I’ll start from the beginning.”


	3. "Where the fuck is Janus?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman confronts Virgil and finally begins to understand why everything happened the way it did

“I...Janus...he said he was going to out you to your parents unless i did what he said. I thought it would just be easier to just be his puppet, but he made me break up with you. I didn’t know he intended to force things on me with that power… Then again, i probably still would’ve done it.”

Roman paused for a few seconds, taking in what Virgil was saying. “God… Virgil, why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, looking at the shaking figure of what was supposed to be Virgil, the absolute bad ass of the school. He seemed to be falling apart in front of him and he’d laid down on the tracks and took it. Sacrificed himself for Roman’s reputation, even after they broke up… He couldn’t quite believe it, but then again, he always had that problem with Virgil. Not being able to believe quite how he would be willing to do so much for him.

"he... He asked me...he asked me if-" he cut himself off with a choked sob and felt his lip quivering, "If I loved you..." he said, a tear slipping down his cheek. "and then-..." He cut himself off again with a sharp intake of breath

"What is it, Virgil, what happened?" Roman wiped the tear from Virgil's cheek.

"I didn't want to lie and I got mad. I... I'm not supposed to be sarcastic with Dee, he doesn't like it." he said, burying his face in the fabric of Roman's shirt. "he said... He said I was disgusting and he couldn't believe how pathetic I was..." he babbled, the tears in no way stopping, more turning into silent sobs. "he got really mad, even madder than he used to get and...he hit me" 

"He did what?" Roman blinked. "No, Virgil, I'm not letting you deal with this anymore, not for me." He got off the bench and stormed all the way back to the cafeteria.

Virgil winced, watching after Roman as he marched away. A few seconds after watching him go inside, he timidly followed after him and stood just in the doorway, hiding from Dee as Roman surged into the room, looking incredibly pissed off.

"Where the fuck is Janus?" Roman yelled as the cafeteria fell silent. All eyes turned to Janus where he sat trying to look nonchalant but the fear in his eyes apparent. "You know what, go ahead, tell my parents I'm gay, but don't you fucking dare hit Virgil again, you abusive piece of shit!"

Virgil flinched, cowering in the doorway as everyone's eyes drew to him. 

As soon as Roman had made his point, he walked back over to Virgil to check on him as he hid in the doorway. 

Virgil looked at him with an uncertain look, "I don't want to stay here anymore." he whined, "I wanna go home...I... I don't feel safe..." he forced out, tears gathering at his eyes.

“You don’t have to stay. We can go home.” Roman pulled away and gently grabbed Virgil’s hand.

Virgil nodded appreciatively, not saying anything as he let Roman lead him out. They got into Virgil's car and he took a deep breath so he'd be able to focus on driving. "Ro, can you play some music? There's too much on my mind right now."

“Of course,” Roman said as he reached for the dial. Pop music filled the car and he worriedly watched the tense boy relax a little bit. 

Once they’d gotten to Virgil’s house, the pair had resorted to watching movies and as if it was a movie cliche, they ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. 

The next morning, Virgil was curled up in Roman's arms, holding him tightly. He looked up at Roman and observed him quietly, not making much movement. "Morning, Ro."

Roman made a little sound and lazily smiled. “Hey Virgil.” 

Virgil hummed, not quite in control of his inhibitions yet. "Mm, love you, Roman" he mumbled, his voice slightly raspy from his crying yesterday. When he realised what he'd said the internal panic in his mind began to flare. come on, Virgil, it isn't like it's the first time we've said it. he thought.

“I love you too,” Roman said without any hesitation. He had felt Virgil tense up after he said those words and wanted to let him know that it was okay.

"Good" he mumbled, nuzzling his face into Roman's chest. "because you are officially my favourite nerd" he said, gently, his hands finding Roman's chest and tracing patterns there.

Roman wanted to lay on the couch with Virgil forever but he knew that there was work that had to be done. Now that Virgil had been taken away from Janus, it was only a matter of time before his parents found out. That meant he needed to move out as soon as possible.

The two of them talked it over and eventually both came to the conclusion that they’d go tomorrow. Both to let themselves get over the hell week they’d subjected themselves to and to simply enjoy a day together so they could fix and smooth over all the uncertainties. 

The two of them were lounging around the house later that day when Virgil spoke up, addressing Roman who was sitting across from him on the sizeable couch.

“You know, i wanted to tell you… That whole time i was stuck with that ass hole, i wanted to tell you so bad, but he wouldn’t let me. I was just trying to protect you and i did the most stupid thing i could conjure.” he sighed, staring at the ceiling as if it was a complicated masterpiece he failed to understand rather than a slab of plaster. 

“It’s okay to be wrong, Virgil. It’s okay to have doubts, moments of weakness, moments of pain.” he explained, putting his phone down on the couch and sliding over to Virgil. “It’s what you do with it afterwards that really counts.” he added, meeting Virgil’s eyes as he levelled his gaze with Roman’s.

“We’re gonna work through this okay? Just the two of us, against the whole world if it comes to it.” Roman smiled fondly at him.

“Okay… I trust you.”


	4. Roman's father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some more of the issues with Roman's home life are uprooted, revealing far worse than Virgil had first expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING FOR ABUSE - This chapter contains some violence and abuse, please proceed with caution, there will be no further warnings.

After that, it wasn’t long before Roman and Virgil had plans to go to his house to get his things. While Roman’s hand had been forced on the matter of moving to live with Virgil, he did trust him and truly believed the dynamic would be good for him.

“Yeah, you're right, come on. " he said, taking Roman's hand and leading him out to the car. They got in and Roman looked a little worried so Virgil carefully squeezed his hand. "Hey, it'll be okay, Ro, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

Roman faintly smiled and nodded. "I know, Virgil, I know," he said as his knee bounced up and down in anticipation. They finally arrived at his house and he inhaled sharply.

Virgil took Roman's hand and gave it a final squeeze, leading him up to the front door, "Come on, we'll try and get this over with as quickly as possible and I'll make sure you never have to worry about coming home to fear ever again." Virgil whispered, giving him a meaningful look, "that's a promise."

Roman took a deep breath and walked in the door. He walked past the messy kitchen with dishes piled into the sink, the dirty living room with a chair still overturned, and up the stairs with creaky floorboards and peeling wallpaper. He was a little embarrassed of his mess of a house but he walked with purpose.

Virgil followed in after him, his face not judging, but empathising with Roman. The amazing guy he'd fallen so deeply for all that time ago had been struggling this whole time. He felt a little guilty, but it's not like he could have done much. He headed upstairs with Roman and the other paused outside a room Virgil guessed was Roman's. "you okay?"

"Y-yeah" Roman's voice broke but he remembered to breathe and pushed the door open. His room was cleaner compared to the rest of the house but it wasn't enough to cover the cracked light fixture and the hole in the wall that his dad had punched in when he came home drunk that one night. "Let's do this..."

Virgil took Roman's hand, squeezing it gently and kissing his cheek, "together." he added, smiling up at Roman, "Come on, you, do you have bags or cases we can use to put your things in?" he asked, trying to organise them immediately. He figured it would help Roman cope if he took charge.

“I have some boxes in my closet. I don’t have too much so you don’t have to worry about storage.” He opened the nearly empty closet and grabbed the boxes leaning against the wall.

"Hey, if you'd let me, I'd love to help you decorate your new room and revamp your closet." Virgil smiled, helping Roman unfold the boxes and carefully starting to fold the clothes to put them into one. "if you aren't comfortable doing that, then it's totally fine, but I think it could be a lot of fun."

Roman knew he desperately needed new clothes but his pride got in the way again. “Uh... Nah, maybe one or two but I think I have enough clothes.”

Virgil pouted slightly at hearing Roman's response, but nodded, "Oh, okay," he said, giving Roman a weak smile. He respected his decision, but he knew there would likely be many situations where Virgil would want to help and Roman wouldn't quite be ready, but at least this reassured Virgil that Roman truly wasn't using him for something which was a refreshing change.

Roman hesitated before changing the subject after seeing Virgil’s unhappiness over his answer but he really didn’t want to seem needy. “Ok, I have...” he looked at his phone, “2 hours before my parents get home. I think we can do that.”

"I think that's doable, yeah." Virgil nodded to himself, his jaw set with determination. "come on, beautiful, let's get started." Virgil winked, poking Roman in the side and picking up another item of clothing to put it in the box. "Okay, Ro, just get everything you want out and put it on the floor and then we can make sure we get everything, okay?"

“Okay.” He grabbed all the things in his closet while Virgil went for the drawers. They sorted through all of the things in his room until his room was empty besides his desk and bed. They had about 30 minutes to spare when they heard the door open.

Virgil bit his lip, closing his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them to see Roman looking mildly panicked. "Okay, honey, i'm going to need you to be real brave for me, okay?" Virgil smiled, hesitantly, cupping his cheek. "We'll be able to get these boxes out the window if it comes down to it, but for now lets just wait it out?" he reassured.Roman nodded with a pained expression. He heard the keys jangle as they were tossed onto the counter. “HEY WHOSE CAR IS IN THE DRIVEWAY?!” his dad roared.

Virgil squeezed Roman's hand, closing his eyes, "Fuck" he whispered, "I'm sorry, love" he cursed, pressing his teeth together and setting his jaw. "Okay, deep breaths for me," he said, trying desperately to think of a way out of the situation for the both of them.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault...” He winced as he heard the footsteps get closer. The door slammed open and his dad looked at the empty room, the two boys holding hands, and then at Roman.

Virgil stepped in front of Roman and looked up at the other, taller man. "Hey, look, we were just leaving, okay?" he said, watching him carefully. "Nothing's going on, but Roman was going to come to my house for dinner. He was just about to text you and let you know." He said, a finality to his voice that made it clear he didn't want to argue.  
Roman’s dad wasn’t about to be pushed around that easily. He took a step closer to the boy who dared to talk back to him. “You think I’m letting my son go with a sinful bad word you can probably guess like you?”

"You think you have a choice?" he said, his eyes burning into the other man's. "Look, i don't want to argue with you, frankly i don't want to be anywhere near you, but i think you calling me that says more about you than it does about me," Virgil said, not taking his eyes away for a second.

“Why you little-“ Roman’s dad raised a hand to slap him. Roman jumped in front of Virgil, took the blow, and yelled “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH VIRGIL!”. Grabbing Virgil’s hand, they pushed past his father, raced down the stairs and into the car. They drove down the street, a safe distance from the house. Once he knew they were safe, Roman broke down into tears.

Virgil brought Roman close, immediately pulling him close. "Hey, hey, it'll be okay...i'm so sorry, honey." he said, rocking with Roman as best as he could. He didn't say anything else, but tried to let Roman cry it out. Virgil wanted to apologise and tell him just how sorry he was and about how he'd never intended to provoke him, but in that moment, he needed to focus on Roman, not his own worries and insecurities.

Roman’s cheek still stung but what hurt the most was his pride. He tried to stop crying and man up but he just couldn’t. He never thought that he would cry more than when his guitar was ruined but here he was. After a bit, he sniffled and said, “ I guess I will take you up on that offer for new clothes.”

"Awe, Ro, that's okay, don't feel bad. i'd be happy to go clothes shopping with you" Virgil said, kissing the crown of his head. "I think...i think i could get them back for you...the boxes, but you'd have to promise me you'll wait outside? I know you don't want me to and i know you'd be willing to leave everything behind to prevent anymore upset, but i'm not going with anything remotely violent, trust me. i love you so much, Ro and i just want you to be able to have some of your things."

“I know you won’t do anything violent but I’m scared of my family. Can we come back when they’re not home? Please? I love you too much for you to be hurt at the hand of my parents.”

Virgil looked unsure, a wavering look in his eyes. "I... Okay, okay, fine, but you're letting me buy you things." he said, squeezing Roman's hand and pulling him in for a gentle kiss. "I love you too, beautiful." he smiled, "now, you're right, let's... Let's go home."  
They drove in silence for most of the ride but neither boy moved his hand from the other’s until they got to the driveway.


	5. The phone call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Roman attempt to give themselves a little down time, but just when they thought everything would be alright, Virgil gets a phone call...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sporadic uploads everyone! I will do my best to keep these regular since i know i have been missing them. Thank you for the support through this series, i'm glad you all like it.

When they got back to Virgil's house, Virgil pulled Roman to his chest, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry I got mad, I didn't mean to come across as so aggressive. You really do mean a hell of a lot to me and I'm sorry if I don't always show it much." He mumbled.

“My dad was going to get mad either way.” Roman sighed. “Please don’t apologise. You did nothing wrong.”

Virgil took Roman's hand, leading him into the kitchen. "Okay, well, I think I know what might cheer you up." he smiled, "how about we go and pile together a bunch of blankets, make some hot chocolate and watch some movies together? I'll let you pick?" he tempted, smiling gently over at him

“Yes please. Can we watch Frozen?” Roman leaned against the kitchen island, watching Virgil turn on the stove and rummage the cabinet looking for the hot chocolate mix.

Virgil nodded, "Yeah, yeah, of course." he smiled, squeezing Roman's hand in his own. "It's going to be okay, alright? You don't need to worry, it'll just be like having a roommate you can make out with." Virgil smirked, kissing Roman's cheek as he finished up making the hot chocolate, grabbing two mugs.

Roman felt his face heat up but he just smirked and took the mugs to the living room, setting them on the coffee table. Virgil followed soon after with a pile of blankets. "Do you want me to grab the pillows?" Roman called.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you like, beautiful." Virgil smiled, kissing Roman's cheek as he passed by him. He then set the blankets out over the large couch. He layed them out along with the pillows to make a perfect little hibernation cubbie for them. He directed Roman over to the couch and sat him down, walking over to the TV to play frozen. Once he had finished, he headed back over to him and let Roman curl up into his side.

As Anna travelled all around the world of Frozen, Roman felt better with Virgil by his side. He belted his heart out at Let It Go and convinced Virgil to sing along with him.

Virgil smiled over at him fondly. "Roman, I swear you are the cutest little theatre nerd." he grinned, gently taking Roman's jaw to get him to look at him. "you're just... Incredible..." he said, looking deep into Roman's eyes, as ever bright with positivity as they were, it wasn't obnoxious. It suited him. Added yet even more charm.  
Roman blushed and leaned over to Virgil, their faces almost unbearably close. “Well, I believe the same can be said about you.”

"Well, if you say so." Virgil trailed off. Refocusing his attention on Roman, he smiled fondly, "God, I should make you blush more... It's so pretty." he said, gently pressing a kiss to Roman's lips.

Roman screamed and cheered internally but tried to keep his cool. He was a little disappointed when Virgil pulled away but he was so darn happy that it didn’t faze him in the slightest.  
"I love your smile too. It really is a work of art. You have to let me draw you properly at some point. You're gorgeous, Ro." he smiled, gently pecking his lips once more. "now that I think about it, you'd make a wonderful muse."

Roman smirked and sprawled on the floor as sexy as he could. “Draw me like one of your french girls,” he laughed.

Virgil sighed, shaking his head fondly. "Well, that's not exactly what I had in mind and while I do have the charm of Leonardo DiCaprio, my art doesn't usually have naked ambition." he smirked, walking into the kitchen and leaving Roman on the floor, chuckling to himself at Roman's quickly deepening blush and spluttering as he tried to grasp for a coherent response.

“He’s such a little flirt” Roman managed to mutter. “I’m the passionate one you know!” he called after Virgil.

"I do know that, but you better step up your game because i am most certainly winning." he smirked, walking back in with two glasses and placing them on the coffee table.

Roman quickly collected himself and gathered a few of the blankets. Trailing Virgil into the kitchen he remarked, "You'll regret trying to beat me in the wonderful game of flirting."

"I don't think so" Virgil grinned, a devious smirk on his face as he winked at Roman, catching the flush that appeared across his face. "you really do look gorgeous in this lightning though," he said, sliding across to stand in front of Roman who looked down at him. "it just brings out all of your features in this perfect way."

“pffft okay shrimp” He leaned down to kiss Virgil and then went upstairs to put the blankets away.

Virgil pouted, his expression hardening as he played up being offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" he scowled, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms, looking at Roman as he descended the stairs.

“It just means, you’re short you big baby,” he smirked and hopped down to skip the last few steps. “What are you gonna do, headbutt me in the knees?”

Virgil pouted, "fine, that's it, no kisses for you, tall ass." he scowled, huffing and turning on his heels to walk into the kitchen where he swiftly proceeded to climb on top of a cabinet and curl up right next to the ceiling. It did look like a snug place to sit, he fitted perfectly.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be asking for them later...” Roman looked up at the boy in the kitchen. “Uh, do you usually sit on things that shouldn’t be sat on?”

Virgil narrowed his eyes, "So confident all of a sudden, are we?" he scowled, the pout still prominent on his face. "and yes, surfaces made for seating purposes can fuck off." he sighed. Just as he said that, his phone started buzzing in his pocket and Virgil pulled it out with a huff only for his eyes to widen and his throat to go immediately go dry. "oh shit..."  
“What? What is it? Is everyone okay?” Roman moved closer to Virgil in an attempt to peek at his phone.

"Well, Yeah...but I might not be." he said, hopping off the cabinet and answering it. He swallowed hard and then put the phone to his ear. "Hey... Uh... Yes? Whoa, what? Oh... No, sorry...of course it isn't... Yeah...okay..." he started to talk back and forth with them, pacing as he did so, looking more and more stressed as every second went by.

Roman watched him pace and wanted to say something. He mouthed are you okay? but Virgil just held up a finger and continued his conversation.

"Oh... Yeah, they're good... I know you asked me to... Better since last time... I know... Look, I'm trying my best... What about my artwork? No! It doesn't matter! I'm not doing that... I don't care... I'm fine, goddammit. Oh... Oh, you are? Yes... Sorry, I've just been stressed... Yes, overall they're okay. Passing isn't a problem, I promise... Yes, okay, I'll see you soon. Okay, bye" he hung up the phone and his legs immediately felt like jelly. All humour was gone from his tone and he fell forward, just barely being caught in Roman's arms so he could steady himself. "sorry, Ro..." he mumbled, not moving his head from Roman's chest.

“Virgil? Babe, what’s going on? You’re gonna be okay.” Roman stroked Virgil’s hair and tried his best to support him. He picked him up and carried him over to the couch.


	6. Virgil's parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil gets very worked up over the phone call he receives and is very grateful of Roman who helps to ground him.

Virgil felt his breathing get slightly ragged so he took a second to calm down and pace himself. "I... That was my parents... They're coming back home for a week to check on me before they have another business trip..." he swallowed, anxiously playing with his hands.

“Your parents? Why are you so nervous babe?” Roman rubbed Virgil’s back to try and help him breathe easier.

"They're...uhm... Not the most understanding people... I... I think I told you about them before." he said, a shaky breath passing through his lips. "but... They want all my grades to be higher... By at least two grades since the last time I saw them... Last year..." he hiccuped. "I d-didn't think it would be this soon..." he whimpered, barely just holding back tears as he refused to move his head from Roman's chest.

“Hey, hey, hey you’re gonna be okay. Do you want me to be at the dinner with you?” Roman offered.

"I don't want them to upset you..." Virgil said, chewing his lip anxiously. "I'm sorry, Ro... I shouldn't be this much of a mess, I'm making a big deal out of nothing." he sighed.

“I’m sure if you’re this scared, it has to be something. And I don’t mind, it’s not like I have to go somewhere anyway.” Roman smiled.

"Thank you..." Virgil mumbled and curled into Roman's chest. "I love you, Ro, thank you so much." he mumbled, finally lifting his head from Roman's chest to look up at him with tears glistening in his eyes.

“I love you so much too. Anything for you babe.” He gently squeezed Virgil and sighed. The warmth and position slowly got the better of him and he fell asleep.

Virgil looked over to Roman and smiled, "Well, if that isn't absolutely adorable, I don't know what is." he mumbled to himself, laying Roman down and curling up on Roman’s chest, pulling a blanket over them.

When Roman woke up, Virgil was nowhere to be found. His jaw still managed to hurt but he ignored it as he went to the kitchen to grab some ice. “Virgil?” he called out.

"I'm in here," Virgil called. He was sitting in a quiet room with all distractions removed from it as he attempted to study. He looked to be in physical pain and the room was already devastated with books everywhere.

Roman walked into the scene and did a double take. “Virgil? What’s happening? Did a tornado whirl through here or was it just you?” He cracked a small joke to try to lighten the mood. He carefully walked over the books and papers to sit next to Virgil.

Virgil huffed, letting his head fall against the table as it made a resounding thump. "I just have to get this done, all this..." he sighed, pointing at the mountains of books that lay out in front of him, most of them opened to specific pages.

“What do you mean? We don’t have school for another week. What could you possibly be studying for right now?” Roman asked.

Virgil sighed in defeat, pulling his head from the table with a whole lot of effort. "I don't know, Ro... I'm just... Worried, I guess." he sighed. "I haven't taken a break in a while now and I'm not getting anywhere with studying. It feels useless.  
“Studying doesn’t define your worth” Roman laughed lightly. “Besides, you’ve got the perfect GPA, college transcript, and stuff.” He gave Virgil a hug and closed the book in front of him.

"my parents won't see it that way." he grumbled, but seemed to give in, his emotional exhaustion taking over as he let Roman lead him out of the room. "Alright, well, if I'm not allowed to study, what are we doing, pretty boy?" Virgil asked with a smirk.

“I think we both know what happens next,” Roman winked and leaned in for a kiss. He led Virgil into the bedroom and handed him a robe.

Virgil let Roman lead him forward with a suspicious look on his face and took the robe from Roman's hand, raising an eyebrow with an incredulous look. "so, what exactly do you want me to do with this?"

"Throw it out. What do you think dumbass?" Roman snickered. "Put it on and wait a bit." He walked over to el baño and Virgil heard the tub turn on.

Virgil blushed, but nodded nonetheless, pulling away his other clothes in the walk in and slipping on the robe Roman had given him. This was definitely new, but not all bad... At least he didn't think so. He contemplated as he sat down on the bed to wait for Roman.

After rummaging through the cabinets and setting everything up, Roman walked out of the bathroom and took Virgil’s hand. “Come on, you need to relax.”

Virgil nodded, following Roman and leaning into his side. "so, uh, you've planned something, haven't you?" he asked as Roman led him into the bathroom.

“No, I just decided to get you naked and then take a look around your bathroom.” Roman said sarcastically. “Duh, I have something planned. Look!” The bathtub was filled with a bubble bath and there were a few candles here and there. The smell of roses lingered in the air and Roman waited eagerly for Virgil’s reaction.

Virgil's face twisted with fondness and he wrapped his arms around Roman's waist, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Ro." he breathed out, sighing softly. "you really didn't have to do this, you know, I'm sure I would have been okay." he said, a slight blush on his face.

“Need I remind you of the state I found you in? You may be an emo disaster but nobody should be that much of a mess. Now you go relax and if you look at a book as much, you will face the wrath of the mighty prince.” Roman laughed. He kissed Virgil lightly on the forehead.

Virgil grinned, leaning up and gently pressing his lips to Roman's. "you're so sweet, thank you so much, Ro." he said, pulling away and smiling as he played some music off his phone and set it on the counter, Roman heading out the door and shutting it behind him for Virgil as he did.

Roman headed down to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, ultimately deciding on making some tea and toast. He heard the shower stop running so he set the food onto a small table and brought it up to the bedroom.

Virgil had just finished up in the bath and climbed out. He wrapped himself in a warm towel, drying himself off and then sneaking out of the bathroom and over to Roman's stuff after he'd found some of his own pairs of sweatpants. He pulled out one of Roman's hoodies and hummed happily as he slipped it on, going back into the bedroom and curling up on the bed just as Roman came in.

“Hey babe, guess what I have?-” Roman said in a sing-song voice and stopped in his tracks, his eyes softening when he saw Virgil curled. “Is that one of my hoodies?”  
Virgil shot up with wide eyes and shrugged, looking away from Roman with a barely visible flush to his cheeks. "I don't know..." he commented, blowing his fringe from his face.

Smirking, he set down the tray and sat at the foot of the bed. “Oh, trust me, I’m not complaining. You look cuter in it than I do. Though, I would like that back eventually.” He paused and added, “You better give me a hoodie too. It's only fair.”

Virgil nodded, gently grabbing Roman and trying to pull him down onto the bed with him. "Come cuddle with me, I want cuddles." he pouted, a slight glare on his face as if he was threatening Roman rather than asking him for affection.

"I mean, I'm not gonna complain," Roman smiled and let Virgil pull him down all the way. He wrapped Virgil up into a big hug and buried his face into Virgil's slightly damp hair. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ro," he smiled, sighing softly. "My parents texted me again...They're coming this weekend and then staying just next week while we go back to school and then they're leaving again the following Monday, so we have to deal with them for nine days." he muttered begrudgingly.

"Hey, I'm gonna be here with you too. And you're right, it's only nine days. We can get through this," Roman gently kissed Virgil's forehead. "But let's not think about that for now. Happy distractions for today. You deserve it babe."

"Yeah, I guess, thanks Ro." he sighed softly, "You're a saint, I swear, babe" he mumbled, letting his eyes slip shut as he relaxed against him.

"You're one to talk." He felt Virgil drowsing off and he let himself follow. The hecticness of the day was finally catching up to him and soon he fell asleep.

The next morning, Roman woke up first and shifted next to him, Virgil groaning to himself in exasperation as he went to stand up muttering something along the lines of 'stupid morning people' as he tried to get Roman to lie back down.

"Hey, no no no. You can go back to sleep but if I'm in bed for longer than this, I may never get back up." Roman quickly washed his face in the bathroom and went downstairs. It was the last free day of the break and he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

Virgil picked up his phone from the bedside table and text Roman. I'm staying in bed, I'll text you later when I'm awake properly and we'll go get coffee or something? He typed out before falling back asleep with a quiet hum of discontent. He wanted Roman to cuddle him, but apparently he had other plans. He smiled fondly as he thought about his mess of a boyfriend.

Roman glanced at his phone and read Virgil's text. He smiled and texted you better get up soon or I'll drink it without you. He walked out to the back yard and curled up on the lounge chair, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

Virgil managed to drag himself out of bed about thirty minutes later, finding Roman in the kitchen cooking something. He wrapped his arms around Roman's waist and rubbed his face into his back. "I'm up."

"Hey babe, took you long enough. I know you said you wanted to go get coffee but I think I'd rather stay in. Soooo, I brought the cafe to us." Roman stepped aside and revealed the pancakes that he was making. "Wanna make the coffee? And please, don't make it black like your soul? at least not mine."

Virgil shook his head fondly, "Very funny, Roman," he said, prodding him in the side before he pulled two mugs from the cupboard. He made the coffee and handed his mug to Roman. "I made it in the coffee machine, don't worry." he smirked, leaning against the counter behind him. "It's not poisoned."

“Oh, really? Well my edge-lord, that is very off-brand for you.” He took a sip and grimaced a bit. “You sure it’s not poisoned? Wayyy too black.” He went to the refrigerator to grab some milk and the pantry for some sugar.

Virgil smirked, rolling his eyes. "Well, I'm sorry, babe, maybe you should have told me how you like your coffee." he said, a mischievous loop on his face as he hopped down from the counter. "I'll be right down, baby, I'm just going to get dressed." he said, heading upstairs and coming down around five minutes later with a pair of shorts, his hoodie and a loose hanging crop top.

“Have I ever told you that you look beautiful? Because babe, you are stunning” Roman basically had heart eyes as he watched Virgil come down the stairs

Virgil flushed, his gaze dropping to the floor as he made his way over to Roman, slipping himself between his arms and hugging him. "i... I'm not sure... I don't think so..." he mumbled, not wanting to leave the question hanging in the air for another beat of silence.

“Well, you are and I will tell you a hundred more times if that’s what it takes to convince you of it.” He squeezed Virgil tightly and turned to grab the two plates he prepared.

Virgil smiled, shuffling over to the table with Roman and sitting next to him. He leaned on Roman’s shoulder as they ate, humming happily at the taste of the food. "Good job, Ro, these are great."

“Why, thank you V. I poured my heart and soul into them, hence why it’s so sweet.” Roman winked and finished the rest of his pancakes. “So what’s the plan for today?”

Well, we don't have long before my fuckin parents come to stay, since it's the end of this week, so i figured we can just go for a walk and hang out? When they're here, there will be a lot of pressure, but I want to act as normally as possible, so a breather might be nice."

“Of course we can take a breather day. Besides, I won’t complain to having a chill day since school’s starting again.” Roman rolled his eyes and sighed.

"thanks, Ro." Virgil smiled, leaning into his side and sighing softly. Throughout the rest of that week, Virgil was obviously more and more stressed out. Each day he wanted to just curl up and disintegrate that little bit more and finally it was Saturday. The day his parents were coming to torment him.

Roman has tried to calm him down from drawing with him during lunch hours and giving him mini pep talks before school everyday but to no avail. On Saturday, Virgil was a nervous wreck and he paced the floor until they heard the door open. “Virgil, honey! Your parents are home!” A woman called in a singsong-y voice.


	7. Could it get any worse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil's mom turns up and Virgil immediately begins dreading what she has planned.

Virgil gritted his teeth and headed downstairs, making his way into the hallway and standing as his parents had their bags brought in by their assistant. He'd never liked her, the smiles were too wide and he despised it when she winked at him. His mother flounced in through the door, her head held high and his father followed behind her. "hello, Virgil." she greeted, her eyes sweeping over him.   
"ugh, I'm not even going to ask, i hope you've been well." she said as if he was more of a stranger than her own son.   
"yeah, I'm fine, the house is fine." 

She narrowed her eyes, "dear god, Virgil, you are part of this family, enunciate your words correctly for God sake. It's yes" she corrected, heading into the living room.

Roman raised his eyebrow and mouthed “Is she serious?” to Virgil but all he got in response was a sad shrug. He quietly followed Virgil and his mom and watched the scene unfold. It was obvious there was a lot of tension between the two but she seemed oblivious to it. 

“Oh Virgil, this is how you’ve been living? This is not fine. Look at this, I can see the dust on the shelf. Why can’t I trust you to do anything?” She sighed and snapped at a maid she had brought with her. 

“Dust this room. Since my son obviously can’t do it on his own.” Roman was put off by her remarks and he frowned slightly as he saw Virgil slowly retreating into himself.

"Sorry, mom, uhm... I've been trying to focus on getting my grades up like you said it all and I didn't think to do it..." he mumbled, his mother immediately turning on her heel.

"Good god, Virgil what have I told you? Mumbling and stuttering? Good lord, I'm raising a hermit." she scoffed, walking over to each surface, her face twisting with disgust. 

"ugh, I can't be bothered, you aren't worth my voice at this point, you won't listen anyway. Go to your room, Virgil." she demanded, shooting him with her hand as he looked down at her phone. "but you, Rogan or whatever your name is, stay here."

“Yes, m-ma’am.” Roman added in a quieter voice, “It’s Roman by the way.” 

She tutted and said, “Speak louder. Just because you aren’t my son doesn’t mean I can’t teach you some manners. But while I have you here, Roman, I want to ask you a few questions about Virgil.” He hesitated but agreed. “Is he the top of his class? Is he still hanging around with that coffee addicted cheerleader and gay jock? Has he gotten over his art phase yet? I’m assuming he isn’t over his gay phase considering you’re still in his life but he’ll get over it.” 

Roman was shocked at her rudeness but decided it was better to stay on her good side. Besides, he knew angry adults were not something to be taken lightly. 

“Well, Virgil’s definitely doing well in his classes if that’s what you’re asking. And yes, if you’re talking about Remy and Logan, they are still friends but I don’t think they’re that bad. Neither is his art, by the way, he’s a really good artist.” 

“Yes, well, artist is hardly a glamorous career to choose and a mother just wants what’s best for their child. Wouldn’t you agree?” Virgil’s mom asked, as if daring Roman to argue with her.

Virgil headed up the stairs and sighed as he slumped down on his bed. 

"Well, that could have gone a whole lot better." he huffed, laying there for a few seconds as he tried to push back the anxiety building in his chest. It was moments like these when he was happy that he was an only child and was left at home by himself. If his parents were home, he definitely wouldn't be able to handle any of this. 

Standing up, he made his way over to his closet and curled up next to a box of his makeup, closing the door behind him. He felt safe in here where no one could see him and he'd found that if his parents came to check on him and he wasn't there on first glance, they'd just leave so this was nice. 

"Well, anyway, Roman." she continued when she didn't get an answer. "Virgil's father and I would very much like you to have dinner with us this evening. Virgil will be attending too, whether he wants to or not, so he'll assist you with the formalities, but since you are dating my son and neither of you thought to ask first, I think it's about time we met properly, don't you think?" she asked, giving him a piercing look as she waited for a reply

“Of course, ma’am.” Roman decided it was better to agree and get it over with. He tried to shy away from her to go upstairs and check on Virgil but she grabbed his arm, making him wince. 

She chuckled lightly and patted where she had grabbed him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you that hard. If you’re worried about Virgil, that silly boy will be fine. Right now, I want to talk to you a little while longer.” 

Roman swallowed hard and followed her onto the couch where she patted a spot next to her. “Come on, I won’t bite.”

Once he shuffled slightly closer, she smiled at him. Her smile was sickly and sharp. More like a predator than someone who was genuinely happy about something. "So, Roman, what do you see yourself doing in the future?" she asked, looking over her nails and then passing her scrutinising gaze over her maid and assistant.

“Well, I hope to be an artist,” Roman noticed her disappointed face and quickly added, “but I do enjoy engineering quite a bit.” He wasn’t sure why he was so eager to please but he figured that it was because he wanted to make things easier on Virgil. Still, he wished he could go upstairs and make sure how Virgil was doing.

She nodded, "Well, engineering is a solid career choice. I respect that, Roman." she nodded. "and while I can appreciate art and actually own a lot of it myself, it's very hard to get into the business and to put it blankly, Virgil just isn't good enough. I don't want him being negatively encouraged because he's already too far from reality to see how the real world works." she scoffed.

"Well, I have other things to attend to, you may go." she smiled, standing up and elegantly gliding up the stairs before a door could be heard slamming in the distance.

“Did that just happen?” Roman wondered. He was conflicted because he saw how she affected Virgil and knew that she was harsh but he could see she was well-intentioned somewhere deep inside there. Nonetheless, Virgil was up in his room and like a good boyfriend, Roman went up there to comfort him.


	8. New clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil decides to take Roman shopping to get ready for dinner with his parents

Virgil heard a quiet knock sound through the room and bit his lip, unsure of whether he wanted to answer it. On one hand, it could be Roman. 

On the other hand, it could be his mother ready to rant to him about how he should be over the gay phase by now and looking to date a nice girl and that wasn't something he wanted to be dealing with. Though after a few minutes of deliberation, he finally decided to answer it, opening the door and standing there with a wince already half on his face.

“Soooo,” Roman laughed nervously, “Your mom is definitely something. Are you okay?” He followed Virgil to the bed as Virgil flopped back down and Roman sat at the edge of the bed.

Virgil sat up and crawled forward, burying his face in Roman's shoulder and groaning out of pure annoyance. "God, I'm so lucky you're here because usually they're so much worse, good god, Roman they're insufferable.

"I mean, they seem to want what's best for you..." he glanced at Virgil's face and hurriedly added, "though of course they're going the wrong way about it." He hugged the frustrated boy and kissed him. "I'm here for you, okay?"

Virgil huffed, giving him a slight scowl. "you just met them and you already think they know what's best for me? Roman, if they know what's best for me and I listened, we wouldn't be dating because I'd have found a picture perfect, bland and opinion-less girlfriend just like my parents want and I would be getting ready to go to business school." he said, looking at him with a challenging look.

"I don't know, they seem to care," Roman trailed off and sighed. "It doesn't matter what I think, it matters how it makes you feel. And I think I would much rather be your boyfriend than have you dating a robot."

Virgil sighed, "I don't know about that, Roman, I care a lot about what you think." he said, leaning back into Roman's arms so his back rested against Roman's chest. "I'm happy I have you, you're everything I've ever wanted in a boyfriend, trust me on that."

"I'm glad." Roman lightly kissed Virgil and he felt their breath match up. "Oh, before I forget, I don't know if you heard your mom but apparently your parents want to have dinner with us tonight." He felt Virgil do a double take and get up from his chest. "No, wait I'm not ready for that. I can't deal with that now," Virgil said, starting to hyperventilate.

Virgil didn't want to be problematic, especially not for roman, but this really was a new form of terrifying. "i... Ro..." he tried to start, but barely got anything out, just instead looking at him with wide fearful eyes, his hands running through his hair. "what did she say to you? What if they tell you something you don't know about me and it makes you hate me... What if they..." he trailed off, burying his face in his hands as he paced back and forth in front of roman fast enough for him to feel dizzy.

"Virge, there is nothing that could make me hate you. Even if you are hiding something and it comes out, I don't think I'm capable of hating you. I'll be there with you okay? You're not eating with them alone." He got up and grabbed Virgil's hand. "Look me in the eyes. I'm not going to let you deal with your parents alone." Roman searched Virgil's eyes worriedly as he had never seen Virgil this panicked before.

"Alright...Okay, i can- i can do this." he barely managed, stepping forwards into Roman's arms and hugging him tightly in an attempt to ground himself. "I don't want to do a high pressure dinner with my parents, but if it means that i get to see you in a proper suit, i think i'll manage." he managed to joke weakly before he buried his face in Roman's chest. "But i am....quite terrified still, can we cuddle, please?" he asked weakly.

“Me? in a suit? Honey, I’ve never been in any formal attire.” Roman laughed as he led Virgil back to the bed. “Though I know you and I will serve in a three piece suit. The straights will be quaking.”

"You'll look great, don't be a dumbass," Virgil smiled, leaning up and kissing Roman's cheek as they situated themselves comfortably on the bed. "You're really pretty, i'm almost certain you could rock anything." he grumbled.

"Hm, you know you're probably right. However...I don't have any formal clothes." Roman's cheeks turned red. "Could I maybe borrow one of your suits? You do have the best fashion sense out of anyone I know..."

"for one of my mother's dinners? She'll eat you alive." he commented with a soft smirk. "we'll go suit shopping, I'll buy you one. Don't argue with me, I'm going to do it because I want to. Plus, I'm too small, you'll never fit one of my suits."

“Are you sure? I know how expensive they can be...” Roman sighed and glanced at Virgil. “Only because I want your mom to be okay with me.” He paused to swallow his pride before thanking Virgil.

"roman, my parents are the type of people the 'eat the rich' memes are directed at. They're positively loaded and while I appreciate that it's a big deal for you, I know you aren't using me for money and I want to buy you nice things because it makes me happy to see you enjoy them." he said, leaning forward and kissing him. "you act like you've asked for 20 things already, babe. It's fine."

"I feel like I'm asking too much of you," Roman bemoaned. "But if it makes you happy..." He grinned and looked at his phone. "Well we have like five hours. Shall we go now?"

"Yeah, i need to get out of the house anyway." he commented, linking his fingers with Roman's and leading him downstairs.


	9. babe...you're just hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil complimenting and teasing Roman while he picks out a suit because they're gay and they love each other.

Virgil crept past his mom's room and to the front door, slipping out and pulling Roman out to the car, opening the side door for him.

“A true gentleman” Roman thought as he made himself comfortable. To be completely honest, this was his first time properly clothes shopping. He had always worn hand-me-downs or gotten the cheapest shirts and pants at a store.

Virgil smirked across at him and grinned, "I try my best," he smiled, taking the car out of the gates and starting the drive to the boutique he wanted to buy Roman's clothes at. "Alright, we're here, handsome." he grinned, stepping out and leading Roman inside. Roman was worried for a second about possibly getting judged, but a lady rushed forward to Virgil and grinned widely at him, "Virgil! Nice to see you again! And you've brought a friend!"

Roman smiled and waved awkwardly as the lady pulled Virgil into a hug. “So what can I help you with?” she asked. “Do you need another suit? Or another dress? I have some new ones that I think you’ll love”

Virgil flushed softly, "yeah, I'll take a look at it, but I'm actually looking to get a suit for Roman. Something to impress my parents, just do what you can to bring out his best features." Virgil smiled as the lady nodded enthusiastically. "all right, well come on then dearies. What's your name, hmm?" she asked, turning to roman briefly.

“Uh, hi. I’m Roman. I’m Virgil’s...” Roman hesitated. “boyfriend. Your store is really nice.” She laughed. “I figured it had been long enough for a wonderful boy like Virgil to be single.”

Virgil flushed slightly, shaking his head at her and then ducking it to look at the ground, the look on his face embarrassed, but still he was smiling fondly. He took Roman's hand as they walked into the next section of the store, the owner of the store walking behind through a walk in and humming as she looked through the suits.

Roman felt completely in over his head and whispered “They all look the same...” to Virgil. He laughed and continued to follow the store owner while she grabbed a few off the racks. “Alright, should we try these on?” she asked and gestured towards the fitting room.

"Come on, Ro, let's try them on." he smiled, taking Roman's hand and leading him forwards. He handed him a suit and then walked into his own dressing room with a suit of his own. He would much rather wear something more alternative or a dress, but if this was the only option he had, he'd deal with it.

Roman undressed and struggled into his suit. It felt scratchy and a little too big. He finally put it on completely. Virgil had already finished trying on his suit and was waiting for Roman.

As Roman walked out, Virgil flushed slightly, coughing and clearing his throat to try and pull himself together. "You uh... look great, Ro. I will say though, it's a little big here and here." Virgil commented, stepping forward and gently pulling at some parts of the fabric to indicate the problem. "How's the material, Ro? Is it uncomfortable at all? How does it feel on your skin?"

“It’s okay you can laugh.” Roman sighed. “I don’t know if it’s supposed to feel like this? I haven’t worn any suits before.” Roman made a half-hearted attempt to adjust the suit.

Virgil lifted his gaze to look at Roman, smirking at him. He leaned up to speak next to his ear so he wouldn't embarrass Roman too vehemently "Babe, I've never seen you in formal-wear before, I wasn't laughing at you, I coughed because you look hot." he smiled pulling back and continuing. "Well, I'm just asking you if it's comfortable, Ro." he smiled. "I want you to feel confident, you look great."

Roman turned bright red but tried to play it cool. “I’m sorry but do you have another one I could try on? I’m not sure this one is comfortable for me.” he asked the owner. She beamed and said “Of course! Here, try this one, hun. It should be a little softer than the one you’re wearing.” Roman took it and went back into the fitting room.

Virgil waited patiently for him and this time when Roman came back out, he looked a little more comfortable. The store owner clapped her hands with a giddy smile and Virgil turned to her, asking for something before she dashed out of the room, Virgil walking to stand in front of him, his eyes drifting across the attire. "You look really handsome, Ro." he smiled, leaning up and pecking his lips. "Is that one better at all?"

“Yeah, I didn’t know suits could be this comfortable. They look so stuffy usually.” Roman admired himself in the mirror. He turned to the owner and thanked her, beaming.

Virgil smiled, stepping forward to hug him and then watching him fondly. "well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, I was worried you'd be uncomfortable, so I'm happy to see you smiling." Virgil beamed from across the room.

“Alright, step up to here, hun? I’m just going to quickly fit this on you so you’re as snug as a bug wearing this.” Roman held his arms out and let the tailor adjust the suit. He kept an eye on the mirror but instead of looking at himself, he snuck glances at Virgil. Virgil was smiling from ear to ear while the owner talked to him animatedly.


	10. We have something to tell you...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil's parents take Roman and Virgil out to dinner and break some news to Virgil that will change his and Roman's futures forever.

As the two of them left the store, Roman seemed to be slightly more optimistic than when they first went inside. Virgil reached over and took his hand, giving him a sideward glance, "You looked really pretty in that last suit." he commented softly, leaning into his boyfriend's arm. "i mean, obviously i prefer you without a shirt on, but I don't think my parents would appreciate you turning up to dinner half naked... that's my job." he smirked, winking at him as Roman briefly looked over at him.

Roman laughed, “Your wish is my command.” He reached for the bottom of his shirt, pretending he was about to take it off. “So that’s where you get your skirts from. When I save enough I am coming back here with you. Just give me a few decades and I think I’ll be ready.” They bantered back and forth while getting in the car. Virgil looked nervous as they were getting in the car and Roman wasn’t looking forward to the dinner either. “Hey do you want to stop for some bubble tea or something? I’ll pay this time.”

Virgil seemed to light up slightly at the idea and nodded, "Okay, that actually sounds nice." he commented, climbing into the car and driving back down the highway. The two of them stopped outside a small café not far off from the boutique and got themselves drinks before making their way back home. They both wasted the rest of the afternoon away and soon Virgil's father was knocking at Virgil's bedroom door. 

"You two better start getting ready, we're leaving in thirty minutes. Oh and Virgil? Can you actually put some proper clothes on this time, you look unsightly in all your feminine clothing." he added with a huff before he stormed downstairs.

Roman watched the grumpy man out of the corner of his eye as he stomped out of sight. He squeezed Virgil’s hand and said “Let’s change. I’m surprisingly excited to wear a suit.” Roman went into the bathroom with his bag and Virgil went to his walk-in closet. Roman couldn’t believe how attractive Virgil looked in his suit and glanced at the floor to calm himself down before he ended up passing out from the cuteness.

Virgil walked over and hugged him tightly, "Hey, Ro? Would you be mad if i used this dinner to do something rebellious to piss off my parents?" he asked, looking up at him with a smirk and a devilish look in his eyes. "I'm just tired of them today and I want to show them they can't just say these things to me and expect me to sit there and look pretty." He huffed, crossing his arms.

“I don’t know, your dad seemed pretty pissed.” Roman sighed at the look on Virgil’s face and then nodded. “Fine, but don’t drag me too far into your schemes. I do want them to be able to tolerate me so I can be with you without worrying about them.” He kissed Virgil on his forehead.

Virgil nodded, leaning up and pecking Roman's lips. He walked back into the closet and came out in a black dress with long sleeves and a slim fit skirt. He had a pair of heeled boots on, fishnets and a rather substantial amount of makeup. "sorry I took so long, babe, I was making an effort." he commented, looking down at his phone and then back to Roman.

  
  


Roman took the glorious sight of Virgil in and blushed. "Even with no effort you are dazzling. This... this is the next level. I'm not even upset, although I don't know about your parents. Shall we?" He extended his arm and led Virgil downstairs to the dining hall where Virgil's parents were waiting.

Virgil's mom looked Virgil up and down with a scowl before she huffed and turned on her heel, his dad only offering a disappointed sigh before he left with her. Virgil rolled his eyes and pulled Roman to get him to follow after. Roman obliged and Virgil smirked at him. "this'll be interesting." 

They all sat at the table as one of the butlers came in with a few trays of food. Roman awkwardly fidgeted as people came in and out of the kitchen to serve them. Finally, everything was set and there was a pause before Virgil's mom sighed and asked, "So, Virgil, I expect your studies have been going well?"

Virgil frowned, his nose screwing up slightly, but he nodded, "Yeah... I guess so? I mean, to my standard I'm proud of them... They're not A+'s but they're good enough for me." he commented, crossing his arms and looking to Roman briefly. "My art is going well though." he added with a shrug,

His parents looked at each other and Virgil’s mother sighed, “Virgil… there was a reason for our visit this time, it wasn’t just to uh… check in on you.” 

“What do you mean?” Virgil asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his mother as she moved to continue, her expression slowly breaking from more serious into a smile.

“Well, me and your father have been thinking and we want to tell you that we’re moving. Everything’s already been finalised. The thing is, Me and your father don’t like leaving you for so long over here in America where we can’t keep an eye on you and next year almost all our jobs are over in Brazil, so that’s where we’re going. We’ve found a wonderful home there and I think it would be much more beneficial for you, my darling.”

Virgil’s eyes went wide, “B-but, what about Roman? I don’t want to move countries! You didn’t think to ask me about this?!” he asked, his eyes wide and concerned. 

“Virgil, hush, you’re making a scene. Plus, it’s not a big deal, you’ve been to Brazil dozens of times from when you were little and you never once complained. We feel you’d be happier that way.” she replied, adjusting her bracelet.

Virgil took a deep breath, pushing down his panic and scowling. “You didn’t answer my question, what about Roman?” 

“What about him? You asked if he could stay with us and you have been, haven’t you, dear?” she said, turning to Roman. “Don’t you have parents to go home to?”

Virgil took a deep shaky breath, “What is your problem?” Virgil snapped, taking Roman’s hand and scowling at her. “He is  _ not  _ going back there.”

Virgil’s mother sighed, rolling her eyes, “We’ll talk about this later, Virgil. Without your friend present.” 

Virgil sat for a second with his mouth agape and then grabbed Roman’s hand dragging him out of the restaurant. Once they got into the cool night air, Virgil took a deep shaky breath. “Fuck.” he sighed, tugging at his hair.

“Virgil? Are you okay..?” Roman asked softly, shifting on the spot uncomfortably, wringing his hands as he tried to push down his own worries about the quickly worsening situation the two of them had gotten into.

“Not really...are you?” Virgil asked, swallowing hard and turning to Roman. He walked over, resting his head against Roman’s chest, his arms wrapping around Roman's waist as he felt tears well in his eyes, threatening to spill over and fall down his cheeks. He'd never asked for his parents to constantly do all their work abroad, but he'd never once complained. His whole life he'd been told to just take things in his stride and he did just that. He'd never told his parents to stay because he knew they liked traveling around a lot. He'd never asked for them to pay attention to him and he'd never asked for _this._

“Well, no, but I’m sure we’ll work something out. It's not all bad, I'm sure it's a very nice place,” he said, gently running his fingers through Virgil’s hair. He was trying his best to be optimistic, knowing that Virgil needed something to anchor him or he'd just keep spiralling and worrying.

“Maybe… But Roman please just know, whatever happens… I’ll be there for you, okay?” he asked softly.

Roman nodded sullenly, “I know, I never doubted that,” he smiled, his expression fond and loving. Honestly, Virgil leaving would make a massive impact on him and he knew that, but right now he was staying adamant on focusing on Virgil. 

“Good, now...let’s just go home… they’re not just kicking you out.” Virgil sighed, pulling back to look up at Roman with a just barely convincing smile. 

“Yeah, okay. Wallowing in our feelings with trash food and cuddles doesn't sound too bad.” Roman smirked weakly, following Virgil back to the car. Neither of them knew what was ahead of them or what would happen in the near future. All they knew was that they had each other and they would fight for that until they couldn't any longer. Virgil and Roman had only just begun their story and they weren't going to let it finish on a sour note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya everyone!! Hayden here, thank you so much for reading all the way through, I know the uploads have been rather erratic. Currently in the works is the third and final book of this series which I promise will give you all closure of the story, clean up plot holes, answer questions and give you the happy ending you desire. Thank you for so much love on this series, I appreciate the support so much and so does my writing partner. If everything goes to plan, the first chapter for the next book should be up before November.


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